INTRODUCTION
It is well noted that sleep has an important effect on the growth and
development of a child. Yet, sleep disorders are common in children from
infancy through adolescence.(1-3) Sleeping habits and
patterns should be detected by parents, and pediatricians prudently to
avoid possible adverse effects on general health.(4)Sleeping habits may vary from resistance to bedtime, delayed and
fragmented sleep to inability to sleep alone. These are all associated
with the socio-cultural, physical, emotional and neurological
development.(5,6)
In order to identify sleeping habits of a child many techniques and
instruments and questionnaires are available. The Children’s Sleep
Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) is a parent-proxy valid and reliable
instrument that investigates children’s sleep habits and sleep-related
difficulties.(7)
Sleeping disorders are defined mainly as the dyssomnia and parasomnia
according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders
(ICSD).(8) Dyssomnia defines inadequate, excessive or
poor quality of sleep whereas parasomnia indicates behavioral problems
that occur in sleep such as sleep apnea, sleep terror, sleepwalking,
enuresis and bruxism. (3)
Exacerbated nocturnal bruxism may lead to an imbalance in the
stomatognathic system. This may cause heterogeneous musculoskeletal
disorders, including temporomandibular joint and/or related structures
in the long term. The perception of discomfort leads to the prevention
of stability in the stomatognathic system with the presence of
dysfunction. (9-11) This chronic disorder and fatigue
is a condition that affects quality of life and sleep negatively. Hence
early diagnosis and follow ups are crucial. Notably, child bruxers are
reported to have fragmented sleep which affects the sleep quality
adversely.(12-14) One other factor that can affect
sleeping pattern is dental caries which can also lead to awakening from
sleep at nights. A cohort study revealed that late bed time was
associated with dental caries incidence as well.(15)Like chain reaction, poor sleep quality impacts the attention level and
motor skills. This might increase the frequency of dental trauma
incidence.(16,17) Considering sleep problems are
common in the pediatric population, its potential relation with bruxism,
tmd, tdi and dental caries are in scope of researchers’ interest.
Therefore, the aim of this study was evaluate the possible association
between sleeping habits, bruxism, temporomandibular disorders (TMD),
traumatic dental injuries (TDI) and dental caries through CSHQ in
children aged between 6-13 years.